You know its a bad pick when both the LEFT and the RIGHT hate the choice …

President-elect Barack Obama picks former Clinton Chief of Staff Leon Panetta to be to be CIA Director? HUH? This is a beyond surprise and strange pick by the Chosen One. Why on earth would one chose an individual with “zero” experience in the intelligence field at a point and time when intelligence on our enemies is a prime issue in our countries security? We all know that Obama has little experience to be President, one would have hoped that he would have picked experienced individuals to safeguard our country. One has to continue to scratch their heads at the continued picking of former Clintonites as well. What happened to the change?

The surprise selection of Panetta, a former California congressman and chief of staff to President Clinton, would give Obama a CIA director with loyalty to the White House and an experienced managerial hand to steer the administration away from potential intelligence scandals.

But it runs the risk of putting an outsider at the helm of the CIA just as it seems to be regaining its footing after years of criticism over intelligence failures leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks and the Iraq war, and for aggressive interrogation tactics used in their aftermath.

If confirmed by the Senate, Panetta would be among the few directors in agency history with no experience at one of the nation’s spy services.

“I was not informed about the selection of Leon Panetta to be the CIA Director. I know nothing about this, other than what I’ve read,” Feinstein said in a statement. “My position has consistently been that I believe the Agency is best-served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time.”

Comments

13 Responses to “Barack Obama Picks Former Bill Clinton Chief of Staff Leon Panetta to be CIA Director … So much for Experience”

Michelle S in MS on
January 6th, 2009 11:27 am

More change I see and inexperience picks inexperience

Alright! I feel better already about the state of security in the country

NOT

scott on
January 6th, 2009 12:06 pm

These Clinton re-runs dropped the ball when Bill was President and 9/11 happened because his people dropped the ball. With this inexperienced pick, another terrorist attack in this county will be coming down the road…

Dems don’t care about national security. They care about bridges and roads, global warming and stealing elections!

ANewGirl on
January 6th, 2009 12:26 pm

Is this more of the type of “change” Americans were promised?

I’m not Jewish, but if I was…I think this is where the “Oy, Vey” phrase might be a good tidbit to insert.

=( Ugh.

Rusty Bridges on
January 6th, 2009 12:35 pm

He don’t want somebody that knows more than him in that office.

buster on
January 6th, 2009 1:35 pm

# Rusty Bridges on January 6th, 2009 12:35 pm

He don’t want somebody that knows more than him in that office.
Yes I agree !!! If Obama smells like a duck and acts like a duck then he must be a duck, I just used the word duck because it was a pleasant choice of words.
Now the USA has it all even a president that was born in kenya.

Looks like Hillary is picking the Obama team. Did Obama not promise change and not the same old Washington. What a joke!

Rusty Bridges on
January 7th, 2009 7:45 am

HennyPenny, you bring up a good point. I think Obama lost control of the bus shortly before he had to throw Wright under it.

flippy on
January 7th, 2009 8:56 am

“If confirmed by the Senate, Panetta would be among the few directors in agency history with no experience at one of the nation’s spy services.”

Keep in mind that George Tenet had the kind of resume that you speak of, and he was appointed by BOTH Clinton AND Bush (And for those of you who are new in town, he is undeniably responsible for the crappy state of intel for both 9/11 and Iraq).

Also keep in mind that the position of DCIA is VERY VERY different than it was 4 years ago. There is a new postion (DNI) that was created a couple of years ago, and that is where the real power is (And it is mandated to be held by a ranking officer). The DCIA isn’t what it used to be.

super dave on
January 7th, 2009 10:08 am

not only is barry a foriegner, word is that he will use his middle name(hussein) when sworn in.
i feel sorry for the Americans that would vote a Non- American in as president.
evidently at least half the people of this country are easily hypnotized by the snake.

Chelsea Clinton:
After Oxford she joined the consulting firm McKinsey & Company in 2003. She began working as an investment analyst at Avenue Capital Group, a New York hedge fund, in 2006, and made many appearances for her mother’s presidential campaign in 2008.http://www.answers.com/topic/chelsea-clinton

#12: I love it, Chief Performance Officer. I have renamed the position, The Looker for Things. Yeah, she’s going to go line by line and find wasteful spending. Yeah, no ear marks. They must really think we, the peeps, are stoopid.